Bellator 64 Play-by-Play – Askren Retains

Wael Saghir is in Windsor for Bellator 64. Here is his play-by-play of the event:

Top MMA News Awards:

Fight of the Night: Rodrigo Lima vs. Hiroshi Nakamura

KO of the Night: Mike Richman

Submission of the Night: Chad Laprise

Rich Lictawa vs. Elias Theodorou
Round 1: Theodorou throws an early high kick and then throws a front kick. Lictawa works Theodorou towards the cage and clinches but Theodorou moves out of it. Lictawa takes Theodorou’s back and tosses him and takes his back. Lictawa is moving to get his hooks in. Theodorou works his way back up and they make their way back to the cage. Theodorou throws an elbow and goes for a takedown. Theodorou continues throwing elbows while he clinches him up against the cage. Theodorou grabs a hold of Lictawa’s neck and throws a few knees and they separate. Theorodou pushes him up against the cage and continues throwing elbows and punches.Top MMA News scores the first round 10-9 Theodorou.

Round 2: Theodorou throws a couple high kicks early on. Theodorou gets Lictawa up against the cage. He clinches up and throws a few knees. He is controlling the fight up against the cage and throwing elbows. They separate off the cage and Lictawa throws an uppercut that lands. Theodorou gets Lictawa back on the cage and controls the fight once again. Theodorou is getting Lictawa into the Thai plum and throwing solid knees and uppercuts. Theodorou throws a high kick and clinches up against the cage once again.Top MMA News scores it 10-9 Theodorou.

Round 3: Theodorou immediately engages and throws a high kick. He clinches Lictawa up against the cage. The ref intervenes and the fight is stopped. From the looks of it, Lictawa is unable to see from his eye.Theodorou wins the fight by verbal submission 33 seconds into the third round.

Kyle Prepolec vs. Lance Snow
Round 1: Prepolec with an early front kick. Snow throws a high kick and barely misses. Prepolec throws a low kick but misses. Prepolec throws a high kick that lands and immediately lands a straight right that rocked Snow. After some quick exchanges, Snow shoots for a takedown and gets it. Snow trying to posture up in the full guard. Prepolec immediately transitions into an armbar and gets the submission win over Snow.Kyle Prepolec finishes the fight via armbar 2:54 into the first round.

Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren vs. Douglas Lima
Round 1: Askren immediately shoots in for a takedown but is not successful. Askren throws a straight and misses but Lima counters with a right. Askren gets Lima up against the cage and clinches. Lima escapes off the cage. Askren moves forward and pushes Lima up against the cage. Askren works for a successful judo flip and takes top position on Lima. Askren working for ground and pound and Lima works for submissions. Lima trying to get a heel hook while Askren throws hammer fists. A nice sweep by Lima and he almost takes his back. Lima slips out of an armbar attempt and Askren ends up on top again. Both fighters are being very active from both positions. Lima works for another armbar but is not successful. Askren takes Lima’s back but Lima spins out of it. Askren is back in the guard. Askren is working some light ground and pound in the half guard of Lima.Top MMA News scores it 10-9 Askren.

Round 2: Askren immediately moves forward again and works for a takedown. Lima ended up in mount for a split second before Askren reversed it. Askren is working for a kimura out of the half guard of Lima. Askren postures up and throws a few short elbows and makes his way back up. He gets back into the guard of Lima. Lima continues to work on a leg lock but can’t seem to get a grip of it. Askren continues to work ground and pound out of the half guard. Askren ends up in full guard after trying to transition. The crowd begins to boo as Askren continues to work an effective gameplan against Lima.Top MMA News gives the round 10-9 to Askren.

Round 3: Askren continues to go for relentless takedown attempts and manages to get Lima back to the ground. Askren lands a few heavy punches from the half guard. Lima went for a triangle but was unsuccessful. Askren continues to impose his will on Lima. Askren is very active from the top position as he is working for side control. Askren is working for a d’arce choke but let’s go. The ref stands the fighters back up and Askren immediately clinches Lima and takes him to the cage. Lima reverses the clinch and begins to work Askren’s body. Lima throws a couple knees as they separate and the round comes to a close with the fans watching several fights as in the stands.Top MMA News gives another 10-9 round to Askren.

Round 4: Lima comes out throwing a low kicks. Askren attempts a spinning back fist but it was blocked. Lima throws another leg kick and Askren shoots for a takedown but could not finish. Askren attempts a judo throw but Lima slips out of it. Lima throws a straight but Askren ducks and gets a takedown. Askren beginning to utilize more ground and pound and Lima continues attempting to transition. Askren continues to work out of the full guard but cannot seem to transition. Lima works for an armbar but Askren puts all his body weight into Lima and forces him to release. The ref stands the fighters up before the round ends.Top MMA News scores the fourth round 10-9 for Askren, as he is looking to cruise to another decision.

Round 5: Lima looks exhausted to start the round as he throws a slow uppercut. Askren shoots for another takedown but could not complete it. He manages to take Lima down after a continued effort. Askren continues controlling the fight out of Lima’s full guard. Askren continues to pepper Lima with shots from top position. Askren transitions as he gets into the half guard and attempting to get into side control. The fans are not impressed to say the least by this fight. The champion continues to control the fight as the round nears its end.Top MMA News scores the fifth and final round 10-9 and the fight 50-45 for reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion, Ben Askren.Official scores: The judges scored the fight 50-45 for Ben Askren as he retains his Welterweight title.

Alexandre Bezerra vs. Marlon Sandro
Round 1: A low and body kick thrown by Sandro early. Popo looking to counter punch every Sandro combo. A heavy left hook lands by Sandro. Both fighters throw hands wildly but nobody lands. Popo throws a body kick but Sandro catches it. Front kick attempt by Popo. Sandro accidently lands on Popo’s groin with an inside leg kick attempt so the ref intervenes. The fight continues with Popo throwing wild hooks. Sandro throws an uppercut and leg kick that causes Popo to fall. Popo goes for a takedown but Sandro impressively fights it off. Nice low kick by Sandro that tripped Popo once again. Sandro is landing his jabs but Popo is having a tough time countering. A nice left by Popo had Sandro stumbling but he quickly recovers.Top MMA News scores round one 10-9 for Sandro.

Round 2: Inside leg kick by Popo lands. Sandro is getting better of the exchanges early in the second. Popo lands a few body and leg kicks on Sandro. Both fighters are landing powerful leg kicks. Sandro lands a couple straights in an exchange. Sandro throws a high kick that was blocked. A nice combo lands by Sandro as Popo chases him. Both fighters are patiently trying to pick their spots. Sandro throws a fake jab and lands a low kick. A high kick attempt by Popo just misses. A lot of jabs and low kicks are landing by both fighters. Sandro misses a hook as Popo ducks and lands a jab. A takedown attempt by Sandro is stuffed. Two low kicks land by Sandro. Popo throws 3 hooks and Sandro dodges them all. Sandro goes for a flying knee that may have just hit the jaw of Popo.Top MMA News scores it 10-9 Sandro.

Round 3: Sandro throws a front kick and Popo immediately shoots for a takedown. He gets him down just briefly and Sandro gets back up but Popo takes his back. Popo picks up Sandro for the slam and tries working to get both hooks in but Sandro reverses and ends up in Popo’s guard. The ref stands both fighters. Popo lands a left hook that drops Sandro briefly but he pops right back up. Both fighters are starting to find their range. A roundhouse by Popo barely misses. Popo nearly lands a right hook after a failed clinch attempt by Sandro. Popo lands an inside leg kick. Popo is the aggressor this round. Popo lands a knee to the chest of Sandro and throws a left hook. Sandro lands a jab. Both fighters throw wildly as Popo getting the better of Sandro, possibly even rocking the Nova Uniao product.Top MMA News scores the final round 10-9 for Popo but 29-28 for Sandro. Official scores: One judge scores the fight 29-28 for Popo Bezzera as the other two judges score it 29-28 for the winner, Marlon Sandro. The crowd seemed not too impressed in the fight and by the decision.

Travis Marx vs. Masakatsu Ueda
Round 1: Marx comes out throwing a few leg kicks. Ueda is constantly advancing. A nice left hook lands by Marx but he misses a high kick. Ueda throws a low kick and Marx catches it and picks up Ueda for a powerful slam. Ueda turns the takedown into a kimura attempt. After he lets go of the kimura, Marx gets top position. Marx is trying to take his back as he throws a few punches to the head. Ueda reveres and goes for a double leg on Marx. Ueda struggling to finish the takedown and Marx begins hammering on Ueda’s head. Both fighters stand. Nice body kick by Ueda. Ueda throws a headkick that just misses. They both go in for a quick exchange. They both throw body kicks successfully.Top MMA News scores the round 10-9 for Marx.

Round 2: Both fighters throw jabs and body kicks. Marx goes for a body kick but Ueda catches it and takes the fight to the ground. Ueda attempts a kimura but Marx makes his way to his feet. He quickly takes Ueda’s back and gets the fight to the ground. Marx gets into side control and Ueda begins working for a kimra once again but Marx works for a mount. Ueda tries to reverse position and nearly takes his back. Marx is working for an armbar. Ueda turns and gets out of the position and gets into half guard. Ueda goes for a guillotine attempt and both fighters end up on the feet. Ueda lands a head kick. Both fighters throw straights and Marx ends with a body kick. Once again, both fighters get into a quick exchange but nobody really gets the better of it.Top MMA News scores it 10-9 for Ueda in a close one.

Round 3: Marx goes for a takedown but after failing, he throws a quick knee. Both fighters are very active on the feet but Marx is getting the better of the exchanges. Both Marx and Ueda are throwing a lot of kicks. Ueda comes in with another body kick. Marx throws a left hook that Ueda avoided and immediately went for a takedown. Both fighters are scrambling for better positions. Ueda is working to take the back of Marx. Both fighters end up on the feet. More wild exchanges by both fighters. Ueda throws a low kick and Marx catches it and lands a jab. Marx throws a right hook but Ueda ducks and goes for a takedown. Ueda is holding onto Marx’s leg tight. Marx scrambles back to his feet but Ueda maintains a clinch. Marx gets out of it and comes out swinging. Another great fight by the Bantamweights.Top MMA News scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Masakatsu Ueda in another fight that could go either way.
Official scores: All 3 judges score the fight 29-28 for Travis Marx.

Rodrigo Lima vs. Hiroshi Nakamura
Round 1: They both engage immediately and Lima gets the better of it. Nakamura goes for a takedown shortly after and gets it. Lima goes for a triangle but does not succeed so he attempts an armbar. Nakamura slips out. Lima is very active from the bottom. Nakamura is throwing hammer fists. Upkick attempt by Lima as Nakamura makes his way to his feet. Nakamura unable to do much as Lima is very active. Lima manages to stand and take the back of Nakamura but Nakamura turns. Lima accidently knees Nakamura in the groin as the ref steps in to give the Japanese judoka a break. The fight starts again with Lima coming in firing. Nakamura is trying to clinch but Lima is resisting. Nakamura gets double underhooks and pins Lima up against the cage and shoots for a successful takedown. That was a very active round by both fighters.Top MMA News scores it 10-9 for Nakamura, though it could have gone either way.

Round 2: Lima throws a headkick early that does not land. Nakamura clinches and Lima throws another accidental knee to the groin of Nakamura. 1 point is deducted from Lima. The action begins again and Lima immediately throws a few jabs to Nakamura’s face as they clinch up again. Nakamura gets the takedown from the clinch and lands in Lima’s guard. Nakamura trying to work some ground and pound as Lima grabs the arm of Nakamura and tries to get an armbar. After the failed armbar, Lima is working for a triangle choke and is now transitioning to an armbar. Nakamura trying to get out of the position and begins to work some ground and pound once again. Nakamura is back in the full guard of Lima. Lima once again goes for a triangle and turns it into an armbar. As Nakamura stands, Lima works for a leg lock attempt. That was a very entertaining round for both fighters.Top MMA News scores it 9-9 (Point deducted) for Lima in another very close round.

Round 3: Both fighters engage early once again and Lima gets the better of the exchanges. Nakamura goes for a takedown and gets it as Lima works for a kimura. He transitions for another armbar but Nakamura escapes. Nakamura ends up in the guard of Lima once again. Nakamura throwing hammer fists as Lima continues working for submissions. Nakamura is working the body as he lies on top of Lima to wear him out. As Nakamura stands back up, Lima works another leg lock. They are both fighting for position as the ref stands them up. Lima comes out firing but Nakamura clinches and takes his back. Lima works for another leg lock as the round comes to a close.Top MMA News scores the round 10-9 Nakamura and the fight 29-27 for Hiroshi Nakamura. The point deduction could very well be the difference. Official score: Hiroshi Nakamura gets the nod with 29-27 across the scorecards.
***Nakamura advances to the semi-finals of the Bantamweight tourney

Chad Laprise vs. Josh Taveirne
Round 1: Early takedown attempt by Taveirne. Taveirne is throwing a lot of awkward overhands as he shoots for a takedown. After a long scramble he manages to get Laprise on his back. Laprise has Taveirne in the full guard. Taveirne pushes Laprise up against the fence but Laprise makes his way up back to the feet. Taveirne is holding onto Laprise up against the cage. Big throw by Taveirne as the fight ends up back in the guard. A triangle armbar attempt by Laprise is looking good. He has it locked in tight. Taveirne taps as Laprise comes up with a very impressive victory.Chad Laprise wins via Triangle Choke in Round 1, 2:48

Chris Horodecki vs. Mike Richman
Round 1: Quick exchanges with nothing land early. A nice left and high kick by Horodecki. A strong exchange with Richman getting the better of it as had Horodecki rocked. Horodecki returns with bunch of hooks with a few landing. Richman lands and rocks Horodecki. Horodecki looks wobbled as Richman continues approaching. Richman lands a few power hooks and scores the early knockout. Big win for Richman.Mike Richman wins the fight via KO 1:23 into the first round.

Matt Secor vs. Nordine Taleb
Round 1: Both fighters touch gloves. Early takedown attempt by Secor and Taleb ends up in the guard. Taleb throwing elbows as he is trying to move. Secor has Taleb’s arm trapped while sitting in the full guard. Taleb is trying to release his arm to posture up. The referee stands them up. Secor throws a kick to Taleb’s body and shoots for a takedown and fails. He is trying to drag Taleb to the ground but Taleb moves away. Secor does not seem interested in standing and trading. Secor is throwing wildly as Taleb moves forward. Another takedown attempt by Secor failed as he is holding onto Taleb’s foot. The fight is back to the feet. High kick attempt by Taleb as he slips and falls but gets back up. A heavy punch by Taleb connects after he catches a kick attempt by Secor that dropped him. Taleb is trying to work some ground and pound. Secor holding onto Taleb’s arm as the round ends with Taleb in top position.Top MMA News scores the round 10-9 Taleb

Round 2: Secor is very hesistant to exchange early on in the round. Taleb is constantly moving forward. Secor shoots in for a clinch and Taleb reverses position and puts Secor up against the cage as he throws knees to Secor’s thigh. Taleb gets underhooks and is trying to trip Secor to the ground. Nice elbow thrown by Taleb on his way out of the clinch which forced Secor to shoot for a takedown unsuccessfully. Secor shoots for another and fails again. Taleb is controlling the fight. The fighters are back on their feet. Good body shots by Taleb which forces Secor to once again shoot for a takedown. Secor holding onto the Taleb tight as Taleb throws body shots. Secor refuses to stand with Taleb. Leg kick followed by a front kick by Taleb to end the round.Top MMA News scores the round 10-9 Taleb

Round 3: Taleb throws a strong uppercut early to count Secor’s takedown attempt. Secor throws a wild haymaker as Taleb sways away from it. Taleb connects with a right that wobbled Secor as Taleb moves forward. Low kick by Taleb lands as they both throw a couple right jabs afterwards. Takedown attempt by Secor fails once again. Secor misses on a hook. They both throw body shots and neither connect very well. Heavy right hook lands by Taleb as Secor moves in to clinch but Taleb reverses the position and holds him up against the cage. Knees to the head connect in the clinch for Taleb. Another failed takedown attempt by Secor as he rolls and holds onto Taleb’s hands. Taleb is in the guard. Secor throws a triangle attempt as Taleb gets up and begins kicking Secor in the legs in frustration. This was a strong performance by Taleb against a hesitant opponent.Top MMA News scores the round 10-9 Taleb and the fight 30-27.Official score: Nordine Taleb get the Unanimous Decision nod winning 30-27 on two scorecards and the rare 30-24 by the third judge.

Taylor Solomon vs. Jason Fischer
They both get into the center of the cage and get into a quick exchange. Fischer gets the early takedown and immediately gets into side control. Solomon repositions and Fischer gets into half guard then into full guard. Fischer worked some ground and pound. They scramble back to their feet. After another quick exchange, Solomon gets the clinch and gets a solid throw and takes control before Fischer reverses and takes Solomon’s back. He ends up in full guard and begins to throw elbows. Fischer is trying to posture up but is unable to. He continues his assault from he top. Solomon throws up a couple triangle attempts unsuccessfully. They make their way back to the feet and Solomon gets the fight to the ground and takes half guard as the round ends.Top MMA News scores it 10-9 Fischer

Fischer throws a right that had Solomon slip down. A few quick exchanges as they get into the clinch and Fischer throws an elbow. Head kick lands by Fischer. Solomon is the aggressor early. Heavy punches being thrown by both sides. Nice leg kick by Fischer. Kick lands on the body of Solomon. Fischer throwing uppercuts as Solomon continues moving forward. Takedown attempt by Fischer is unsuccessful. Some good punches thrown by Solomon before he gets taken down and Fischer gets half guard. Fischer gets into Solomon’s guard and is throwing body shots with short shots to the head. Fischer fighting for side control but could not get out of the guard. Fischer continues controlling the fight on the ground.Top MMA News scores it 10-9 for Fischer

Solomon comes out firing early. He is pushing the pace early on. Fischer lands a hard right hook and gets the takedown. He is into full guard once again. Kimura attempt from the bottom by Solomon fails. Fischer has completely controlled top position throughout the fight. Continued ground and pound by Fischer as he is grinding out another round. Fischer is throwing elbows as Solomon is trying to reverse the position. Fischer grinding out the final round as a minute approaches. Fischer takes Solomons back and moving for a rear naked choke. Fischer chokes out Solomon as he goes unconscious. Strong performance by Fischer as he finishes the fight with one second left.Jason Fischer wins via Rear Naked Choke with 4:59 of the third round.
_______________________________
Main Card:
170lbs- Ben Askren (9-0) vs. Douglas Lima (21-4)
***Welterweight Title Fight
135lbs- (21-3)
*** Featherweight Tourney Semi-Final

Comments like these remind me why MMA is such a unique sport. Imagine there was a team in football that every play, snap after snap, made short, 3-yard runs to move the chains. No bombs, no long sprints, no drama whatsoever. Just short runs, over and over, until the endzone, against every team they face – and no one can stop them.

Do you thinak ANY football fan would bag on that team for being “boring”? Do you think they’d have any problem selling tickets for games? Would any football pundit have the audacity to blame them for their boring style, instead of blaming their opponents for knowing what was coming and still getting overrun?

MMA is one of those sports where we insist everyone be exciting and dramatic, yet at the same time write someone off after a couple losses. We praise technical brilliance, yet insist every fighter abandon it to give us our money’s worth.

Ben Askren is the team making short, 3 yard runs every play. It’s a grinding, slow style devoid of drama. But it works, and if we’re going to start acting like real sports fans, we need to at least give Ben’s opponents equal scrutiny for not having an answer to the problem we all knew he was going to face.

Sorry for tbe rant folks, and remember: this is just my opinion, and it stinks like everyone else’s.

I hear you dude. And I get that I’m the minority on this one. If you think Askren is boring as watching the grass grow – well, like The Dude would say, “That’s, like, your opinion, man.” I can’t argue against that, nor would I want to.

But why be mad just at Ben Askren? Why not be mad that Lima – a multi-faceted, experienced MMA competitor – couldn’t stop the one-dimensional, utterly predictable attack of Ben Askren? That’s all I’m saying.

We’re a real sport now, so to me it’s not enough to say “Ben Askren is boring! The champ should abandon his gameplan and skillset and trade punches, because I paid money for these seats and I’m drunk!”

I’m coming off as a mad Askren apologist, which I’m really not. I just want the dialogue to move past “that fight was boring! Blame the guy who won” because it’s a more complicated issue than that. Again, this is just my opinion, and I’m not a typical MMA fan so…I’m probably gonna get my a** flamed worse than the morning after hot wings night.

Tough to argue with Elton. The fight was not entertaining at all and there were 4 or 5 fights in the stands that people literally stood up and cheered for but you can’t criticize a guy for implementing the right game plan. Askren said it best, why would he want to stand and bang with a guy with one punch KO power? Unfortunately for fans, that’s the way he has to fight and it is a part of the sport.

People always say “I don’t want to watch MMA because it’s just a bunch of guys laying on top of each other” but those same people that say that haven’t sat there and tried watching every single NFL game or NBA game. Is every sport consistently entertaining? It’s the reality of sports. People are out to win and teams and fighters that use the right strategy win, whether it is entertaining or boring.

Every sport has made rule changes to improve entertainment. If wrestlers all start dominating, then the rules will change.

Right now, wrestlers don’t all win. Some of them get Joe Warrened by Pat Curran.

For this fight, I have no problem with Askren. Lima had five months to prepare and he looked like he did not even prepare for a wrestler. Terrible footwork, consistently backed himself into the cage after landing his one strike, and was content to lie on his back and not explode out even after landing a couple upkicks.

Boring fighters emerge when matched with fighters who have poor takedown defense and an ineffective bottom game (in comparison to who they are matched with).

I agree with the fact that a 5 round decision that involves a lot of lay and pray isn’t exactly ‘entertainment’ per say, but, this is a sport, not ‘sports entertainment’.

Don’t want to get lay and prayed? Learn how to defend it. Having said that, Askren should work on his sub-game and start to finish some of these guys that he is on top of for the majority of 5 rounds. Just as much as his opponents should be trying to get up or finish him with submissions, he should be trying to advance position and finish them… and maybe add a punch, or 100.

@ Elton, I don’t watch a lot of football so I’ll use hockey references..

Prior to the 04/05 lockout the game was being dominated by a boring “trap” style that really made it difficult to mount offense. The low scoring games were becoming boring to watch and hurting the leagues growth in new markets. So they tweaked a pile of rules to try and open the game up and make it more exciting.

I won’t knock the wrestlers or wrestling in mma. If you can do it and win fights against the likes of Lima you’d be a fool not too. However in saying that at some point in the future it’d be nice to find a way to tweak the rules a bit and maybe have less of these “boring” fights!

If anyone didn’t see a 5 round tedious Askren decision coming they didn’t see the Lima-Juarez fight. Jesse Juarez has no where near the wrestling pedigree that Ben Askren is gifted with and was able to out-wrestle Lima pretty easily. If Juarez didn’t have a momentary mental mistake (i.e. getting caught in a telegraphed arm bar attempt) I wouldn’t have been surprised to seen him replicate the same result against Lima.

Feel real bad for Horodecki. In 2007 I was sure he was on his way to being a perennial top-10 lightweight; or at very least a popular action fighter. After a less than impressive campaign in the WEC, and a KO loss on a Bellator undercard against an unheralded opponent, I’m not sure where he goes from here? A cut to 145?

Lol at changing the rules of the sport, how about learn how I wrestle. Lima came in unprepared for an extremely one dimensional fighter. He should find himself a new team and coaches if they couldn’t figure out what Askren was gonna do. Lima looked like he didn’t work on his sprawl at all.

I actually found the fight somewhat entertaining because I wanted Lima to win and he through up a few close submissions. I think Askren leaves himself open to a good leg lock guy with the way he stands in people’s guards. At this point I think the moment he fights a solid wrestler with heavy hands he’s going to lose (a guy like Koscheck, Hendriks, Ellenberger)

You can learn how to wrestle all you want, there is nothing you can do against a wrestler of this caliber. The game is slanted when your opponent comes in to shut down any offense, does little himself and still win a decision. His offense is also his defense which means his game plan has no holes.

I really doubt anyone has a chance with leg locks. He feels his opponent move to another sub, he shuts it down, stays on top and is still winning. Does something not sound right here? I dont understand how people think this is ok.

To anyone who appreciates this type of fight. Next time you are watching one, try to talk about it with someone watching it with you. The big problem would be that they have most likely gone to take a piss, get a beer or are complaining how boring the fight is while you are trying to tell them about the intricacies of holding someone down.